


Don't you want to be happy?

by nyandragons



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Brainwashed Max, Cults, Daniel adopts Max, Gen, Kidnapping, Religious Fanaticism, Stockholm Syndrome (kinda), dadniel, no relationships ya weirdos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 02:51:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12355941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyandragons/pseuds/nyandragons
Summary: Daniel sees potential in Max, and tries to show him the ways of Zeemuug.This is going to be angsty ya'll. Im trying to base this more off of real life cult indoctrination, as in the show it was more like mind control, and real life indoctrination can take months or even years. So... Yeah. Get ready for feels.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks so much for clicking! This is going to be a bit more dramatic and have more of a set story than my other fic, but suggestions and tips are still very much welcomed!!!!

Max woke up to the sound of… nothing. Usually David was up singing camp songs, or birds were chirping, or cicadas freaking out right outside his tent, but this morning was silent.

He groaned and stretched, reaching his hands out to the space in front of his head, but he didn't touch the heavy canvas of his tent, he felt plaster and paint.

He shot up. Was he in the hospital? Did his parents take him home in the middle of the night? Where was he?? The walls were pure white, with a white shag carpet and gray chevron striped curtains hung loosely in front of window looking out into the dead of the woods. In one corner was a white wooden door, and in the other was a huge bookshelf, full of books of all colors. Hung around the room were dim fairy lights, casting soothing amber light into the air. 

Max immediately jumped up and stumbled to the door. It obviously wasn't a hospital, and his parent’s house was never this nice. 

“What’s going on???” He shouted, turning the doorknob frantically. It didn’t budge.  
“Where am I??” He shouted again, this time resorting to banging on it with his hand curled into a tiny fist. He took a long breath and felt a wave of nausea come over him. He fell to the middle of the floor and clutched his head.

“What the fuck?” He asked himself quietly, he grabbed his wrist tightly in order to stop himself from throwing up. Everything felt wrong inside him, like his organs all switched functions. He put his hand over his mouth and shut his eyes tight.

Suddenly, a tiny click and the creaking of a door rang out, along with a comforting voice.  
“You don’t need to stop yourself, it’s good to get toxins out of your body.”

“Wha-”

“It’s okay, I got you a bucket, no need to worry.”  
The voice called out again. Max recognized the pitch, how the speaker drew out the last vowel of his words to an unnatural length, how goddamn CREEPY that voice was, but before he could even identify who it was coming from, a large blue pail slid in front of him, and he threw up.

=========================================

After a solid minute of on and off heaving, Max felt confident enough to move his head. He slowly turned to face the speaker. He was ghostly pale, dressed head to toe in oddly formal white clothing. His hair was platinum blond and his eyes were an icy blue. Daniel.

“WHAT THE FUCKkghh” He tried to shout, but another wave of nausea swept over him, causing his head to droop slightly and his words turn into a series of uncomfortable groans.

“Shhhh.. Try not to talk. Ill help you to your bed.” Daniel replied, effortlessly scooping the boy up. Max wanted to fight, he wanted to bite the fucker’s hand off, but his legs felt like lead. He was gingerly placed onto the small twin bed, and a soft gray blanket was placed on top of him.

“I’ll come back with some food if you can eat, the bucket’s on the nightstand, try to get some sleep, it'll make you feel better.” He said, flashing the boy an unnerving grin before stepping back out of the room. Max didn’t want to do anything that creep told him to do, but exhaustion quickly wormed it’s way into the ten year old’s body, and he fell asleep.

=========================================

Max slept fitfully all through the afternoon and evening. His dreams were the kind of technicolor hellscapes you only get if you take half a bottle of cold medicine. Every so often he would wake up with a jolt, only to fall back asleep before he could remember where he was. Eventually, he slowly woke up, and stayed awake this time. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room. Daniel was sitting in a small chair next to a desk, casually reading a rather thick novel. 

“Oh good! You’re awake! Are you feeling any better?” He said unblinkingly. 

“A-Are you going to kill me?” Max stammered, huddling himself against the wall.  
Daniel looked to the ground for a split second, thinking.

“I would say that that was a very rude question, but I understand where you’re coming from. No, I’m not going to kill you.”

“But I ruined your plans! I made you drink your own fucking poison!” He replied, shocked. “Oh wait, it’s torture, isn’t it. You’re going to torture me”

“No, it’s not torture either. That little stunt you pulled with that camp counselor of yours showed me something very intriguing.” He said, closing the book and rising from the chair. “You, Maxwell, are very smart. And I want you to put that brain of yours to something good, to Zeemuug.”

“So you’re going to put me in that sauna thing again?” Although the nausea was gone for the most part, his head still felt fuzzy and distant, and he had trouble remembering exactly what the thing was called.

Daniel let out a soft chuckle and shook his head slowly, walking to the boy. “All that was was just some old fashioned hypnosis. It wears off after twenty minutes. No, I want you to truly see him, to truly find happiness within him.”

The man stalked closer to the boy and bent down, his face mere inches from Max’s, all the while giving a bone chilling grin.

“Don’t you want to be happy?”


	2. Don't Believe His Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fiddles n' fights. And Roofies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for clicking! Sorry I haven't been posting much, life is hard man, but as usual suggestions are welcomed!!!!!

After Daniel had left the room for ten minutes, Max finally felt safe enough to move. He slowly stood up from his bed and looked around his new prison. In the far corner was a late brown case with symbols scrawled in sharpie on the neck. It went up to Max’s thigh if stood upright, and it gave off a strong smell of pine and old books. He took in his lap and unhooked the clasps keeping it shut with two loud clangs. Inside was a beautiful old fiddle, a bow, and a small bar of rosin. Although it was clearly antique, it seemed incredibly well taken care of, without a scratch of the dark mahogany body to be seen. 

Max didn’t know how to play it in the slightest, but he gingerly held the instrument to his chin. It seemed unnaturally light and alien in his hands, where does he put his face? Is he even supposed to put his face on it? He blinked hard and lifted the bow. Like the fiddle itself, it was beautifully maintained, no hair out of place. He slowly closed his eyes, put the bow on the metal strings and moved it to the left, and out came a horrible screeching noise.

He swiftly replaced the instrument back into it’s case, it was probably Daniel's after all, and he didn’t want to be murdered or something over a goddamn fiddle. He reclined back onto the wall, the smell of the instrument still lingering around him. Jeez he hoped that fucking cultist didn't hear that god awful performance. He closed his eyes for a split second, when he heard his door click.

“Max! You found the fiddle! Is it the right size for you?” Daniel said, his face twisted into a large grin, but this one somehow seemed more sincere than the ones he remembered. 

Max swiftly backed as far as he could into the wall. Shit, he was cornered. He raised his arms over his face instinctively and In a shaky voice he responded.

“N-no I was just-”

“Max, it’s okay if you tried to play it, I did buy it for you, after all.”

“Y-you bought it for me?”

“Of course, it’s my favorite instrument, and I would love to be able to teach you! From what I gather, you don’t play anything, right?” Daniel's excited grin had softened to a warm, closed-lip smile. It unnerved Max to no end.

“In fact, I could teach you now, if you want.” The man said again, sitting on Max’s bed and taking his fiddle from the case.

“I'm only going to say yes because I’m scared what would happen if I said no.” Said the boy, sitting on the bed as well, but trying desperately to keep as much space between him and Daniel. 

The man looked back at the case quickly, flashing a face of sadness for a split second before returning to his happy smile. 

“Okay, so this is rosin, you need to rub it on the bow.” He said warmly, taking out a small cube of an amber-like substance.

===================================================================

After an hour, three chapped fingertips, and many screams of frustration, Daniel finally decided to end the lesson.

“You did really well! Can I teach you more tomorrow?” He said, standing up swiftly and packing the case. Max didn’t reply. He just stared at the bed with a scowl on his face. 

Daniel stood in silence for a second. 

“I’ll bring down some food then.”

===================================================================

After about a half an hour, Daniel came back down to Ma’s room holding a hamburger, fries, and a small container or chocolate mousse. The food looked incredible, like it came from a restaurant in new york city where everything costs thirty dollars, but Max barely lifted his head from his pillow.

“Are you okay? I have dinner.”

“Sick. I think I have Mono.”

“Max, you don’t have Mono. It’s just a side effect of..” Daniel's sentence trailed off as Max slowly turned his head with a scowl on his face.

“Side effect of what, Daniel.” Max spat.

“Well. I guess I should be honest with you then. I gave you a small dose of rohypnol to get you here.” He said, looking at his feet.

“You ROOFIED me??” Max exclaimed.

“It was just to get you here without you hurting someone!!” Daniel gasped back, putting his hands in front of his chest.

“Someone like you?” The boy replied, shaking off the nausea and leaping to his feet.

“I meant someone like you!” He replied back, stepping forward quickly. “If you stayed there, your soul would have died! The only place you can be safe and happy is with me, learning about zeemuug! And we both know you wouldn’t have come if I didn’t just give you a harmless dose of a sedative!” He screamed back. They stood there, panting, Max giving a death stare that could be seen from space, and Daniel just realizing that he had yelled at a child.

“I-I’m sorry for raising my voice, Max, but-”

“Fuck off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I actually decided to write this story not only because Camp Camp is my favorite series of all time, but as also something of a coping mechanism / PSA. I'm just gonna say it, two years ago, I escaped a religious cult. I'm fine now, but remember, indoctrination and brainwashing is really difficult to notice! Please, educate yourself of the signs of indoctrination so you can get out while you still can. It's not as unlikely as you would think. 
> 
> Well anyways suggestions are always appreciated! Thanks for reading!!


	3. Lovebomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel gives Max a little present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for clicking! Super exited to keep writing this! Suggestions or tips greatly welcomed!!!!!

Daniel gave a long, sad look before slowly stepping out of the room. The tray of food was still sat neatly next to him on the desk, looking absolutely delicious. Although Max was angrier than he could ever remember being, he was also incredibly hungry. He slowly reached over and picked up the glossy burger and gave it a sniff, and apart from smelling amazing, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Same went for the fries and mousse, so he dared a bite.

Just as it looked and smelled, it was glorious. The flavor of the meat and herbs exploded in his mouth, as well as the flavour of garden fresh tomatoes, onions, and raw spinach. Max slowly let the food back on the tray. How dare that fucking cultist give him good food. Is he trying to prove something? He swiftly picked up the food and finished eating, but not happily.

=========================================

After a while, Daniel returned. Again.

“What do you want.” Max slowly grumbled from his bed.

“I have a present for you! Would you like to see it?” The man replied with a hand behind his back, giving a long and eerie smile.

“Not particularly. Knowing you it’s probably a dead cat.” Max snapped, sitting up and glaring at him.

“Well, not too far off actually...” Daniel replied, stepping into the room. “It’s actually a puppy! A live one, don’t worry.” He said, presenting a small curly haired dog to the boy. It couldn’t have been more than eight weeks old, and it had an emerald green bow tied loosely around it’s neck that it was desperately trying to bite. 

“Don’t worry about having to take care of it, I’ll give it food, water, and walks, you can play with it from your room.” Daniel added, putting down the animal with a soft pat on the head.

“How’s it supposed to get to me if you keep that door locked, huh?” Max said, narrowing his eyes at him. “Will you finally unlock it?”

Daniel didn’t reply for a solid thirty seconds. “We can install a doggy door to your room!” He finally said.  
“You’re letting a DOG have more freedom than ME??” Max growled, balling his tiny hands into fists.

Daniel sighed and shook his head. “Max, I can’t let you get to the other rooms of the house until you’ve learned you can trust me a little! Is that so hard to ask? Don’t worry, we’re already making progress! You can explore the entire place before you know it!” He said cheerily. 

“Well, see you in a minute! I have to get you a new door! You think of a name for your new animal while I’m gone!” And with that, the man disappeared, leaving Max alone with the puppy.

=========================================

“If you pee on this carpet, I will stab you.” Max said, crouching down to face his new friend. The dog tilted its head to the side, its left ear flipping inside out it the process. 

“I guess you need a name then. Do you want a normal name, or a badass one?” He said, laughing slightly. The puppy kept staring at the boy with large brown eyes, before sticking its tongue out slightly.

“Badass it is then. How do you feel about Beowolf?” Said the boy, to which the dog promptly responded by yapping as loud as an eight week old golden doodle puppy could yap. Which is not very loud.

=========================================

After a half an hour of Max playing with Beowulf, a small click came from the door.

“I’m sorry Max, I’m going to have to take your animal to another room while I replace your door.” Daniel said, scooping the puppy and swiftly walking out, not before he locked the door behind him. After about two minutes, the sound of a power drill could be heard, making Max’s teeth bounce against each other. Pretty soon the door was completely off it’s hinges.

“HA! YOU FUCKER THOUGHT YOU COULD CONTAIN ME??!!” He said, suddenly springing up and running past the crouched man, slamming into another locked door at the end of the hallway. 

“Stop acting like you’re a prisoner. I’ll get you anything you want.” Daniel sighed, helping the boy up.

“Fine! I want a three decker chocolate cake then!” He spat.

“I can get you that. Like I said, anything you want.” Daniel replied, walking Max back to his room and taking a bandaid out of his right shirt pocket. Max didn’t respond for a minute. 

“Pfft. Adults always say that. They never really though.”

“Then maybe I’m an exception.” He smiled, plastering the bandaid to the boy’s forehead, where a small spot of blood was beginning to form. “All those other adults didn’t really care about you. Your parents, the camp counselors, they only ‘cared’ because they were legally obligated to.” Max looked at his bed, saying nothing. “I’m different.”And Max still said nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I guess I should explain this part a little lol. This is the start of the process known as the "lovebomb". It's generally the first step in indoctrination and is characterized by giving gifts to the victim, weather physical gifts or positive experiences, and is used to associate positive emotions with the cult or it's members. Like always, tips or suggestions are welcome!!!


	4. Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Sunday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for clicking! Sorry I haven't been updating much, I've been very busy lately, but I promise ill try to fall into some sort of schedule!

It had been three days since Max went missing. David had no idea how it happened, one day there was a rube goldberg machine of death set up right outside his window, and the next… nothing. The camp was too quiet those few days, it made David uneasy, as if it was the build up to a jumpscare that never came.

The police came again and again, asking thousands of questions and scribbling notes on tiny notebooks. Mr Campbell didn’t want to let them come, but both Gwen and David were on the edge of tears. They knew how much this kid’s life sucked, and they honest to god didnt want it to end without them being able to help at all.

David didn’t know what to do.

=========================================

“I refuse to do one more goddamn minute of this torture.” Max fumed, setting down the smaller fiddle with a little more care than usual.

“Oh come on, you almost have the C minor down! Just a little more?” Daniel replied, begging.

“My fingers hurt, asshole!”

“That means you’re forming calluses! Thats a good thing!”

“You are seriously not going to let me out of this one, huh.” Max said, picking the instrument back up reluctantly.

“Nope!” Replied Daniel with a quick laugh. “Let’s run through C minor one more time.”

Max placed the bow against the metal strings and slowly pulled it along. A haunting note played through the room, although it seemed shaky when compared to the older man’s example. He frowned.

“That was very good! We can stop now if you want!” Said the man, clapping his hands together happily.

“That wasn’t that great. I could have done better.” Replied Max, furrowing his brow as he placed his fiddle back into the case.

“Well, yes, but the number one rule of music; you can always do better.”

“Cut it with the cheesy motivational poster crap. How do I steady my hands?” Max demanded, flicking the clasps down.

“Well, you still have a filthy caffeine dependency that we need to break, that’s probably causing most of the shaking. Who let you have caffeine this young anyway?”

“Nobody LET me have coffee, but nobody stopped me either.” Max said, picking up the case to set it against the usual spot in the corner. “Wait.. Why the fuck am I telling YOU this?” He added, turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder.

Daniel had a content expression, like happiness mixed with a hint of boredom. “Maybe because you finally are starting to realize you can trust me?”

Max replied with a visible look of disgust. “No way in hell, shitbag.”

“Suit yourself.” Replied Daniel, stepping out into the hallway. “Tell me when you change your mind.” He added, before locking the door behind him.

=========================================

After about an hour of Max trying to read a comic book he found in his bookshelf, Beowulf barreled in through the door, holding a small metal coin, followed by an angry-sounding Daniel.

“You stupid animal! That is not yours!” He said, wrestling with the puppy, who obviously thought this was some kind of game.

Max sighed and stood up. “Drop it, boy.” He said in a monotone voice, giving the dog a slight kick it it’s side.

“Thank you, Max, I needed this for something.” Replied Daniel, paying no attention to the crying dog behind him. Max cocked an eyebrow at that last sentence.

“It’s Sunday, remember. The day for worship?” Daniel said, tilting his head to the left. “I know you don’t believe in it yet, but I still want to continue with my faith, I don’t want to have to wait for you!” He chuckled, walking out the door again. 

Max turned to Beowulf, who had recovered from whimpering and was now happily bouncing around his room. 

“That was very bad of you, I expected better.” He said sternly. The dog gave no notice. “Stupid animal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading! If you have any notes or suggestions, please tell them, I'm always open!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!!!!!! If you have any suggestions or tips please share!!


End file.
